Betta Problems??

Question

i think my betta is biting his own tail?? is that possible?? could it be anything else he has 4 tank mates 2 dwarf platies and 2 otto cats. they are in a five gallon tank??? im very confuzed!!!!

well my platies are only about 1/2 inch lond and my otto cats are about 1/2 to and inch i have been keeping fish for many years and so has my dad and he says my tank is perfectly balanced not onebit over crowded.

Answer 1

If all you see is chunks missing from his tail, it is more likely that he has finrot. That is just too many fish for a 5 gallon tank. Start vacuuming the gravel twice a week and adding some mineral salt to the water to help heal the fin. After about a month, his tail should be back to normal. Because you have so many fish in your 5 gallon tank (Platies can reach 3+ inches each), there is a lot of ammonia in the water (which is unhealthy for the fish). Ammonia leads to finrot, which could lead to infection, so get a gravel siphon and some salt before the end of the week. If you have any questions, email me at [e-mail].

Nosoop4u

Answer 2

Your tank is over crowded. A 2.5 gallon (which is half the size of yours) is just enough room for one Betta. Then you add all the other fish. You need to upgrade to a bigger tank. When you over crowd a tank the water tends to get dirty more often. You will need to do more partial water changes and vacuum the gravel more often to keep the ammonia levels down. The fish per gallon rule is incorrect unless you are talking about very small fish such as neon tetras.
Get a bigger tank and the fin rot on your Betta should clear up.

Answer 3

Personally, I have never seen any of my other fish or my two Bettas go for their own tails.

I'm assuming the tail fins are torn? Bettas have very delicate fins and they can be easily ripped on decorations, fake plants, or the filter intake can do some damage to them. This type of damage should heal on its own. Just make sure the water stays clean.

If this continues your other fish may be nipping at your Bettas fins. Betta fins are very attractive targets to fin nippers. That's why I keep my Bettas seperate. If I did add my Bettas to a community tank, I would add them to a tank larger than five gallons.

Answer 4

your supposed to have one gallon of water per fish no matter how small, also does your Betta sleep on the bottom of the tank? cause if he does hang out on the bottom often then he might have his tail curl and the balls of fin falls off, or the other fish could be biting the tail, or he could have tail rot.
try taking him out of the tank for a couple of weeks and see if it gets better. if that doesn't help try treating him for tail rot. have you noticed any white spots on him or other fish in the tank? if so it could be ICK which needs to be treated
good luck

Answer 5

Well it is possible that he is bitting his own tail but it could as well be another fish. But another thing is that betta's do not like to be around other fish and they do not like big areas. I suggest u get a small tank like a fish bowl becasue my cousin had her fish 2 years b4 it died and it was by herself and in a sall tank..

Answer 6

it could be a water quality problem fraying your bettas tail -- a mild case of a fin rot would look like its being nipped.
also nitrate build-ups. from a crowded tank (like yours) would cause fin fraying too.

Answer 7

ditto nosoup...it could be finrot or just he is biting his own tail
you can see a vet about either one of course :)

Answer 8

i have had my platies bite my other fish(s) tails so it most sertainly could be that

Answer 9

Its possible they are biting his tail. Uh, have you witnessed him biting his own tail? Maybe he's stressed.